Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to China on August 31 for the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking his first visit to the country in more than seven years. The trip comes after a prolonged chill in bilateral relations following the Galwan Valley clashes of June 2020.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Friday that Modi will visit the Chinese city of Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, right after his two-day trip to Japan (August 29–30) for the 15th India-Japan annual summit.
Resetting India-China Ties
The announcement follows recent measures agreed upon by New Delhi and Beijing to build a “stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship.” These include reopening border trade, resuming direct flight services, and maintaining peace along the frontier.
On the sidelines of the SCO summit, Modi is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss further steps to ease tensions, including possible de-escalation along the eastern Ladakh border.
The eastern Ladakh standoff, which began in 2020, effectively ended last year after disengagement from the final two friction points at Demchok and Depsang (October 2024). Modi last visited China in 2018, while Xi Jinping visited India in 2019 for the second “informal summit.”
A Packed Diplomatic Tour
Before heading to China, Modi will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo. Discussions will cover defence and security, trade, technology, innovation, and people-to-people ties, with both leaders set to review the special strategic and global partnership between India and Japan.
The MEA said the visit will reaffirm the longstanding bond of friendship with Japan and mark another important step in India’s engagement with key Asian powers.
